Tody
A small, brightly colored Caribbean bird in the family Todidae, with a long, flattened bill and an insect-based diet.
Todidae: A family of small Caribbean birds comprising the five living species of tody. This family contains the bird and its four close living relatives.
Sallying: A foraging behavior in which an animal launches from a perch to capture prey and often returns to it. Todies often dart from low perches to snatch insects from foliage or the air.
Cuban tody: A small green, red-throated tody endemic to Cuba. It is the tody species found on Cuba.
Cuban amber: Fossilized tree resin from Cuba that preserves organisms from the island's past. A fossil tody from Cuban amber documents the family's ancient presence in the Caribbean.
Coraciiformes: An order of birds that includes kingfishers, bee-eaters, rollers, and todies. Todies are classified within this broader bird order.
Gape (bird anatomy): The opening of a bird's mouth, often marked by conspicuous coloration in nestlings. Bright gape markings help parent todies locate chicks when feeding them.
Puerto Rican tody: A bright green, red-throated tody endemic to Puerto Rico. It represents the island's distinctive tody population.
Fossil: Preserved remains or traces of organisms from the geological past. Fossils provide evidence about tody evolution beyond living species.
Avian beak: The keratin-covered mouthpart of a bird, shaped in ways related to feeding and other behaviors. A tody's broad, flattened bill is its most distinctive anatomical feature.
Nest burrow: A nesting cavity excavated in soil, banks, or similar material by a bird or other animal. Todies dig tunnels in earthen banks for nesting.